Wireless transmission of real-time media

ABSTRACT

A method for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a source device to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel is disclosed. The method comprises encoding media for the wireless transmission based on a minimum of (i) an available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device for the wireless transmission based on a time allocation of the source device for wireless transmission or (ii) a throughput constraint for the wireless transmission based on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the source device and the sink device; and wirelessly transmit the encoded media from the source device to the sink device.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/957,730, filed Aug. 2, 2013, the content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to techniques in wirelessdevices which are configured for wireless transmission of real-timemedia, for example, by using a wireless transmission channel configuredfor Wi-Fi peer-to-peer (P2P) communication.

BACKGROUND

A wireless communication device, such as a portable battery-poweredwireless communication device, may be configured to communicate viaaccess points (APs) of wireless local area networks (WLANs) inaccordance with IEEE 802.11 standards or the like. Such a device mayadditionally communicate using peer-to-peer communication techniques,for example, over a wireless transmission channel configured inaccordance with the “Wi-Fi Direct” technical specification (also knownas Wi-Fi Peer-To-Peer (“Wi-Fi P2P”) technical specification). Such adevice may be certified as a Wi-Fi Direct device.

There is a need for efficiently facilitating real-time mediatransmission over the wireless transmission channel to enable wirelesscommunication devices to transmit and/or receive real-time media to asecond communication device such as a television, for display. Forexample, a portable wireless communication device may have a smallersized display screen than the second communication device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings which show example embodiments of the present application, andin which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an example environment within which the techniquesof the present disclosure can be practiced;

FIG. 1B illustrates an additional example environment within which thetechniques of the present disclosure can be practiced;

FIG. 2 illustrates in block-diagram form a display suitable fordisplaying real-time streaming media in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates in block-diagram form a wireless device suitable fortransmitting real-time streaming media to the display for FIG. 2 inaccordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow-diagram of communication between the wirelessdevice of FIG. 3 and the display of FIG. 2 to establish a peer-to-peersession to allow for wireless transmission of real-time media betweenthe two devices;

FIG. 5 illustrates example encoding schemes for encoding the real-timemedia for wireless transmission in accordance with example embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A illustrates in block-diagram form example components of thewireless device of FIG. 3 and the display of FIG. 2 for transmission ofthe real-time media in accordance with example embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6B illustrates an example packet structure for encapsulating mediafor wireless transmission in accordance with example embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate example time-allocation schedules; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow-chart of a method for encodingreal-time media for wireless transmission in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure.

Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures todenote similar components.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Real-time media transmission over a wireless transmission channelenables many applications. For example, an Internet-connected portablewireless communication device may stream a video from a video sharingInternet site and wirelessly transmit the video to a television having alarger display screen. In another example, a presentation, video orother media stored in the memory of a portable wireless communicationdevice may be wirelessly transmitted to a projector for presentation toan audience. However, as such applications require real-time or nearreal-time processing and transmission of the media, more efficientencoding of the media is necessary to allow for reduced latency oftransmission, and to occupy the wireless channel more efficiently, thusreducing the bandwidth required for transmission.

The present disclosure teaches a wireless communication device(hereinafter “wireless device” for convenience) having a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing a methodfor encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a source toa sink over a wireless transmission channel. A processor of the wirelessdevice may implement the method to encode the real-time media bydetermining, based on a time-allocation for the wireless transmission,an available bandwidth for the wireless transmission; and encoding thereal-time media for the wireless transmission based on the availablebandwidth or a throughput constraint.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a methodfor encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from a sourcedevice to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel. In someembodiments of the first aspect, the wireless device is a client deviceand receives the time-allocation from a group-owner. The time-allocationmay be defined by a Notice-of-Absence schedule. The wireless device maydetermine, based on a hardware limitation associated with the source orthe sink, the throughput constraint for the wireless transmission. Whenthe available bandwidth is greater than or equal to the throughputconstraint, the wireless device encodes the real-time media for thewireless transmission based on the throughput constraint. The wirelessdevice monitors for a new time-allocation for the wireless transmission,and when the new time-allocation is available, determines a newavailable bandwidth for the wireless transmission, and encodes thereal-time media for the wireless transmission based on the new availablebandwidth.

In other embodiments of the first aspect, the wireless device is thegroup-owner and sets the time-allocation using a Notice-of-Absenceschedule. The wireless device determines, based on a hardware limitationassociated with the source or the sink, the throughput constraint forthe wireless transmission, and when the bandwidth available is greaterthan the throughput constraint, sets a new time-allocation for thewireless transmission to limit the available bandwidth in correspondencewith the throughput constraint. The wireless device then encodes themedia for the wireless transmission based on the new availablebandwidth.

The real-time media may be made up a plurality of a Group of Pictures(GOP), each GOP having a key-frame and wherein encoding the real-timemedia comprises adjusting any of a GOP structure or GOP size.

The hardware limitation may be any of a sink buffer limitation forstoring received data from the source, a sink decoder limitation fordecoding received data from the source, a source buffer limitation forstoring data for sending to the sink, and a source encoder limitationfor encoding data for sending to the sink.

The wireless device may initiate a wireless peer-to-peer (P2P)communication session between the sink and the source, such as a Wi-FiDirect communication session.

In accordance with one example embodiment of the first aspect, there isprovided a method for encoding real-time media for wireless transmissionfrom a source device to a sink device over a wireless transmissionchannel. The method comprises: encoding media for the wirelesstransmission based on a minimum of (i) an available bandwidth betweenthe source device and the sink device for the wireless transmissionbased on a time allocation of the source device for wirelesstransmission or (ii) a throughput constraint for the wirelesstransmission based on a hardware limitation associated with one or bothof the source device and the sink device; and wirelessly transmittingthe encoded media from the source device to the sink device.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a mobile wireless communications device, comprising: aprocessor; a wireless communication subsystem; and a memory; wherein thememory has stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed bythe processor, configure the mobile wireless communications device toperform one or more of the methods described herein.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly storedthereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of amobile wireless communications device, cause the mobile wirelesscommunications device to perform one or more of the methods describedherein.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several example embodiments are described herein, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example,substitutions, additions, or modifications can be made to the componentsillustrated in the drawings, and the example methods described hereincan be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding steps to thedisclosed methods. Accordingly, the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description provide examples only and are notintended to be limiting. Instead, the proper scope is defined by theappended claims.

In addition, numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein. Itwill, however, be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art thatthe example embodiments described herein can be practiced without thesespecific details. Furthermore, well-known methods, procedures, andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure theexample embodiments described herein.

Example Network Configuration

To illustrate one environment within which the techniques of the presentdisclosure may be practiced, FIG. 1A illustrates a wireless device 130which may communicate with wireless communication devices 120 a, 120 band 120 c (120 collectively) and an access point (AP) 125. Certainadaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be made.Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to beillustrative and not restrictive. The wireless device 130 maycommunicate with one or more wireless communication networks. Forexample, wireless device 130 may communicate with a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) 110 operating in accordance with IEEE 802.11 standards,or other WLAN standards, and the Internet 115 via AP 125.

The wireless device 130 additionally or alternatively communicates usingwireless peer-to-peer communication techniques, for example, inaccordance with the Wi-Fi Direct technical specification (also known asWi-Fi Peer-To-Peer (“Wi-Fi P2P”) technical specification) and/or becertified as a Wi-Fi Direct device. The wireless device 130 mayestablish a Wi-Fi P2P wireless connection with a display 120 a (ormonitor) which includes a wireless transceiver. Such a Wi-Fi P2Pwireless network connection may be suitable for applications such as,for example, a streaming media application, or a display or presentationapplication. The wireless device 130 may additionally or alternativelyestablish a Wi-Fi P2P wireless network connection with a printer 120 bwhich includes a wireless transceiver. Such a Wi-Fi P2P wireless networkconnection may be suitable for applications such as, for example, aprint application or a facsimile application. Even further, the wirelessdevice 130 may additionally or alternatively establish a Wi-Fi P2Pwireless network connection with a speaker 120 c which includes awireless transceiver. When the wireless device 130 is connected as such,using one or more Wi-Fi P2P wireless network connections, data may becommunicated “directly” between the wireless device 130 and the otherdevices 120 (i.e. without the data traversing any fixed wireless networkinfrastructure).

Wi-Fi P2P wireless networks may include a P2P wireless device which isdesignated as a group-owner (GO) to serve some functions of an AP, suchas, broadcasting beacon frames and allocating wireless channelresources. The GO may maintain multiple concurrent network connectionsin an active state, for example, with multiple devices, including thewireless devices 120 and the AP 125. In FIG. 1A, the wireless device 130acts as a group-owner.

The wireless device 130 may be additionally configured to accesscommunication services via a Public Land Wireless Network (PLWN) (notshown), such as a cellular telecommunications network. For communicationwith PLWNs, the wireless device 130 may be configured in accordance withone or more cellular telecommunication standards, such as Global Systemsfor Mobile (GSM), General

Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE) or Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), or EVolution-Data Only (EV-DO)(for CDMA) technologies, as a few examples.

FIG. 1B illustrates a second environment within which the techniques ofthe present disclosure may be practiced. In FIG. 1B, the display 120 aacts as a group-owner. The display 120 a may maintain a networkconnection in an active state, for example, with multiple devices,including the wireless device 130 and the AP 125, concurrently. Thedisplay 120 a may connect to the Internet 115 via the AP 125.

Example Display Device

Reference is next made to FIG. 2 which shows in block-diagram form anexample of the display 120 a suitable for displaying real-time streamingmedia, such as video and presentations in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure. The display 120 a may be any oneof a television, a projector, a computer monitor, an adaptor coupled toa display, or other device suited for displaying information on adisplay screen.

The display 120 a includes a rigid case (not shown) housing theelectronic components of the display 120 a. The electronic components ofthe display 120 a are mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown).The display 120 a includes a processor 202 which controls the overalloperation of the display 120 a and a communication interface 204 forcommunicating with other devices via a communication network 150. Thecommunication network 150 may be the network shown in FIGS. 1A or 1B, orother suitable communication network.

The processor 202 interacts with other components, such as one or moreinput devices 206 such as a keypad, buttons, or touch sensitive bezel,Random Access Memory (RAM) 208, Read Only Memory (ROM) 210, a displayscreen 212, persistent (non-volatile) memory 220 which may be flasherasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) memory (“flash memory”)or any other suitable form of memory, auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystems 250, one or more data ports 252 such as a serial data port(e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) data port and High-DefinitionMultimedia Interface (HDMI) data port, a speaker 256, and other devicesubsystems generally designated as 264. The components of the display120 a are coupled via a communications bus (not shown) which provides acommunication path between the various components.

The display screen 212 may be provided as part of a touchscreen whichprovides an input device 206. The display screen 212 which together witha touch-sensitive overlay (not shown) operably coupled to an electroniccontroller (not shown) comprise the touchscreen. User-interaction with aGUI (graphical user interface) is performed through the input devices206. Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images, icons, andother items are rendered and displayed on the display screen 212 via theprocessor 202.

The processor 202 operates under stored program control and executessoftware modules 276 stored in memory, for example, in the persistentmemory 220. The persistent memory 220 stores data 286 such as user data.As illustrated in FIG. 2, the software modules 276 comprise operatingsystem software 278 and software applications 280. The softwareapplications 280 include a P2P Streaming application 282. The softwaremodules 276 or parts thereof may be temporarily loaded into volatilememory such as the RAM 208. The RAM 208 is used for storing runtime datavariables and other types of data or information. Although specificfunctions are described for various types of memory, this is merely oneexample, and a different assignment of functions to types of memorycould be used.

The communication interface 204 may include a short-range wirelesscommunication subsystem (not shown) which provides a short-rangewireless communication interface. The short-range wireless communicationinterface may be configured in accordance with one or more cellulartelecommunication standards, including any one of a Bluetooth® standard,an IEEE 802.11 standard, an IEEE 802.15.3a standard (also referred to asUltraWideband (UWB)), a Z-Wave standard, a ZigBee standard or othersuitable short-range wireless communication standard. The communicationinterface 204 may provide an infrared (IR) interface such as an InfraredData Association (IrDA) interface to receive communication from a remotecontrol unit (not shown) for controlling operation of the display 120 a.

The P2P streaming application 282 configures the display 120 a todisplay information received via the communication interface 204 over aP2P wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi P2P wireless network, on thedisplay screen 212. The information may be processed in real-time ornear real-time, and may include video, audio, pictures, text, anycombination of audio, pictures and text, or other media or multimedia.In some embodiments, the P2P streaming application 282 enables thedisplay 120 a to act as an external display device or monitor for aconnected computing device such as the wireless device 130, includingcloning another display device such as the display screen of thewireless device 130, or acting as a primary display device or monitorfor the connected computing device. The P2P streaming application 282may additionally or alternatively receive audio from the wireless device130 as part of the real-time or near real-time information, which may bereproduced using the speaker 256 of the display 120 a or an externalspeaker (not shown) coupled directly or indirectly to the display 120 a.

The P2P streaming application 282 may run in the background,concurrently with another application, such as a TV application (notshown).

Accordingly, the P2P streaming application 282 may be triggered upondetecting a new P2P connection has been established with a devicesupporting P2P streaming, such as the wireless device 130.

Example Communication Device

Reference is next made to FIG. 3 which illustrates a mobile wirelessdevice 130 suitable for communicating with the display 120 a inaccordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. Examplesof the wireless device 130 include, but are not limited to, a mobilephone, smartphone or superphone, tablet computer, notebook computer(also known as a laptop, netbook or ultrabook computer depending on thedevice capabilities), wireless organizer, personal digital assistant(PDA), electronic gaming device, and digital camera.

The wireless device 130 includes a rigid case (not shown) housing theelectronic components of the wireless device 130. The electroniccomponents of the wireless device 130 are mounted on a printed circuitboard (not shown). The wireless device 130 includes a processor 302which controls the overall operation of the wireless device 130.Communication functions, including data and voice communication, areperformed through a communication interface 304. The communicationinterface 304 receives messages from and sends messages via thecommunication network 150. The communication interface 304 typicallyincludes a WWAN interface for communication over cellular networks and aWLAN interface for communication over Wi-Fi networks.

The processor 302 interacts with other components including one or moreinput devices 306 such as a keyboard and/or touchscreen, RAM 308, ROM310, a display screen 312, persistent (non-volatile) memory 320 whichmay be flash memory or any other suitable form of memory, auxiliary I/Osubsystems 350, one or more data port 352 such as serial data port(e.g., USB data port), a camera 354 such as video and/or still camera, aspeaker 356, a microphone 358, a motion sensor 368 which enables toprocessor 302 to determine whether the wireless device 130 is in motionand the nature of any sensed motion at any appropriate time, anorientation sensor 370 which enables the processor 302 to determinewhich direction the wireless device 130 is pointed at any appropriatetime, a global positioning system (GPS) device 372 which enables theprocessor 302 to determine GPS coordinates (i.e., location) of thewireless device 130 at any appropriate time, proximity sensor 374 whichenables the processor 302 to determine the distance between the wirelessdevice 130 and an object at any appropriate time, and other devicesubsystems generally designated as 364. The components of the wirelessdevice 130 are coupled via a communications bus (not shown) whichprovides a communication path between the various components.

The display screen 312 may be provided as part of a touchscreen whichprovides an input device 306. The display screen 312 which together witha touch-sensitive overlay (not shown) operably coupled to an electroniccontroller (not shown) comprise the touchscreen. User-interaction with aGUI is performed through the input devices 306. Information, such astext, characters, symbols, images, icons, and other items are renderedand displayed on the display screen 312 via the processor 302. Theprocessor 302 may interact with the orientation sensor 370 to detectdirection of gravitational forces or gravity-induced reaction forces soas to determine, for example, the orientation of the wireless device 130in order to determine a screen orientation for the GUI.

The input devices 306 may include a keyboard, control buttons (notshown) such as a power toggle (on/off) button, volume buttons, camerabuttons, general purpose or context specific buttons, ‘back’ or ‘home’buttons, phone function buttons, and/or a navigation device. When thedisplay screen 312 is provided as part of a touchscreen, the variousbuttons or controls may be provided by onscreen user interface elementsdisplayed on the display screen 312 instead of, or in addition to,physical interface components. The keyboard may be provided instead of,or in addition to, a touchscreen depending on the embodiment. At leastsome of the control buttons may be multi-purpose buttons rather thanspecial purpose or dedicated buttons.

The wireless device 130 may include a memory card interface 330 forreceiving a removable memory card 332 comprising persistent memory, suchas flash memory. A removable memory card 332 can be inserted in orcoupled to the memory card interface 330 for storing and reading data bythe processor 302 including, but not limited to still images andoptionally video images. Other types of user data may be stored on theremovable memory card 332. Other types of removable digital imagestorage media, such as magnetic hard drives, magnetic tape, or opticaldisks, may be used in addition to, or instead of, the removable memorycard 332.

The processor 302 operates under stored program control and executessoftware modules 375 stored in memory, for example, in the persistentmemory 320. The persistent memory 320 stores data 386 such as user data,user information and information regarding the components and technicalcapabilities of the wireless device 130. As illustrated in FIG. 3, thesoftware modules 376 comprise operating system software 378 and softwareapplications 380. The software applications 380 may include a P2PStreaming application 382. The software modules 376 or parts thereof maybe temporarily loaded into volatile memory such as the RAM 308. The RAM308 is used for storing runtime data variables and other types of dataor information. Although specific functions are described for varioustypes of memory, this is merely one example, and a different assignmentof functions to types of memory could be used.

The communication interface 304 may include a short-range wirelesscommunication subsystem (not shown) which provides a short-rangewireless communication interface. The short-range wireless communicationinterface may be configured in accordance with one or more cellulartelecommunication standards, including any of a Bluetooth® standard, anIEEE 802.11 standard, an IEEE 802.15.3a standard (also referred to asUWB), a Z-Wave standard, a ZigBee standard or other suitable short-rangewireless communication standard.

The P2P streaming application 382 configures the wireless device 130 toinitiate communication with a display, such as display 120 a, over awireless P2P network and to send information to the display over thewireless P2P network via the communication interface 304. Theinformation may be stored in the memory 320, for example as persistentdata 386, or on a removable memory card 332, or may be retrieved fromthe Internet 115 in real-time or near real-time, or may be generated bythe processor 302. The information may be processed in real-time or nearreal-time, and may include video, audio, pictures, text, any combinationof audio, pictures and text, or other media or multimedia. In someembodiments, the P2P streaming application 282 enables the wirelessdevice 130 to “clone” the content displayed on the display screen 312 onthe display 120 a, or to use the display 120 a as a secondary displaydevice. The P2P streaming application 282 may additionally oralternatively transmit audio from the wireless device 130.

The P2P streaming application 282 may run in the background,concurrently with another application, such as an Internetvideo-streaming application (e.g. YouTube®). Accordingly, the P2Pstreaming application 282 may be triggered upon detecting launch of thevideo streaming application.

The wireless device 130 includes a battery 338 as a power source, whichis typically one or more rechargeable batteries that may be charged, forexample, through charging circuitry coupled to a battery interface suchas the serial data port 352. The battery 338 provides electrical powerto at least some of the electrical circuitry in the wireless device 130,and the battery interface 336 provides a mechanical and electricalconnection for the battery 338. The battery interface 336 is coupled toa regulator (not shown) which provides power V+ to the circuitry of thewireless device 130.

A received signal, such as a text message, an e-mail message, or webpage download, is processed by the communication subsystem 304 and inputto the processor 302. The processor 302 processes the received signalfor output to the display screen 312 and/or to the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 350. A subscriber may generate data items, for example e-mailmessages, which may be transmitted over the communication network 150through the communication subsystem 304, for example.

The motion sensor 368 may comprise an accelerometer (such as athree-axis accelerometer) or other suitable motion sensor. Theorientation sensor 382 may comprise an accelerometer (such as athree-axis accelerometer), electronic compass, gyroscope, or acombination thereof. Other suitable orientation sensors could be usedinstead of, or in addition to, the accelerometer, electronic compass andgyroscope. The motion sensor 368 and orientation sensor 382, or partsthereof, may be combined or shared, for example, within an integratedcomponent. The processor 302, or controller (not shown) of a three-axisaccelerometer, can convert acceleration measurements into deviceorientations.

The proximity sensor 374 may comprise a sensor that transmits a field orsignals (such as electromagnetic) to detect the presence of nearbyobjects (i.e. the sensor's target). The maximum distance that theproximity sensor 374 can detect may be predetermined or adjustable. Theprocessor 302 can utilize this information to determine the distancebetween the wireless device 130 and the target object to be captured inan image.

Session Establishment

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow-diagram of communication between thewireless device 130 and the display 120 a to establish a P2P session forwireless transmission of real-time media between the two devices. Theflow-diagram of FIG. 4 provides only a high-level illustration of stepsand messages that may be communicated to establish a session. Variousother steps may be implemented and various other messages may becommunicated. Additionally, the order of the steps and messages is onlyillustrative and is non-restrictive.

The wireless device 130 and the display device 120 a may be configuredto scan for other P2P available devices at 402. The wireless device 130and the display device 120 a may receive an instruction to scan from auser via input received via a user interface of the wireless device 130or the display device 120 a, or may be programmed to perform a scan whena pre-determined condition is detected. The pre-determined condition maybe the launch of a particular application, such as a video application.The scanning procedure allows the devices 130, 120 a to discover eachother at 404, and negotiate parameters for selection of a wirelesschannel, such as a channel number.

After the devices 130, 120 a have discovered each other, the devices130, 120 a may enter into a group-owner (GO) negotiation phase at 406.The GO negotiation allows for the selection of one of the devices 130,120 a acting as a GO to perform functions similar to that of an AP in atraditional Wi-Fi network. The selection of the GO may be based on manyfactors, including factors related to IT policy, the available services,interference with other wireless devices and the ability to access othernetworks. However, battery-constrained devices often act as the GO. TheGO may select and establish a Notice-of-Absence (NoA) schedule defining“absence” periods during which the GO may enter an inactive state, suchas a low-power state in which wireless communication functions aresuspended. The NoA schedule may be broadcast in a beacon frame by the GOat regular intervals. The NoA schedule defines a time-allocation foreach device to transmit over the wireless channel using four parameters:(1) a time-duration parameter, specifying the length of each absenceperiod; (2) a time-interval parameter, specifying the time betweenconsecutive absence periods; (3) a start-time, specifying the startingtime of the first absence period after the current beacon frame; and (4)a count of the number of absence periods in the current schedule. At theend of each absence period, the GO returns to an active state from theinactive state, for example, when changing from the low-power state to ahigher-power state, such as a normal operating state. The GO may adjustthe NoA schedule at any time.

The basis upon which a particular NoA schedule chosen may be based onfactors such trying to minimize latency while satisfying a certainthroughput/power consumption tradeoff. For example, when the GO is alsocommunicating with an infrastructure access point, the one interface(e.g., P2P) works around the other interface (e.g., the infrastructure).The implementations are often proprietary.

After the devices 130, 120 a have discovered each other, the devices130, 120 a may enter into a device capability negotiation phase at 408.The device capability negotiation may include exchanging messagesproviding details of supported compression schemes and standards and/orother device capability information. For example, when the H.264 MPEG-4video compression standard is used, the devices 130, 120 a may exchangeinformation regarding supported profiles and/or levels. Each profiledefines a particular set of features to be supported, and each profileis tailored to a specific class of applications. For example, theConstrained Baseline Profile (CBP) defines a low-cost set of features,suitable for videoconferencing and mobile applications. In anotherexample, the High Profile (HiP) supports high-definition televisionapplications. Example features that are be supported by HiP but not CBPinclude: 10 bit sampling; interlaced coding; and quantization scalingmatrices. Additionally, each level may include definitions of: maximumdecoding speed; maximum frame size; maximum video bit rate for coding;and maximum resolution. Accordingly, to support a particular profile andlevel, a particular set of hardware and software performancerequirements may be needed.

A profile may be selected based on the type of media being transmitted.For example, when transmitting a movie for display on the display 120 a,the HiP may be selected. However, the level may be selected based onhardware limitations associated with either of the devices 130, 120 a.In one embodiment, the level selected may be the level providing themaximum image and/or video quality given the hardware performanceconstraints of the devices. In another embodiment, the level selectedmay be the level providing the maximum battery life for the devices 130,120 a.

In one embodiment, the hardware limitation is a buffer limitation of thedisplay 120 a for storing received data from the wireless device 130 ora decoder limitation of a decoder of display 120 a for decoding receiveddata from the wireless device 130. In another embodiment, the hardwarelimitation is a buffer limitation of a buffer of the wireless device 130for storing data for sending to the display 120 a or an encoderlimitation of an encoder of the wireless device 130 for encoding datafor sending to the display 120 a. In another embodiment, the decoderand/or the buffer limitations may be dependent on the softwareimplementation of the decoder and buffer respectively. For example, if amore efficient algorithm is used by the decoder, the hardwarelimitations associated with the decoder may be reduced.

During the device capability negotiation phase, the devices 130, 120 aidentify a maximum average throughput which the devices 130, 120 a canboth support due to hardware limitations associated with the wirelessdevice 130 and/or the display 120 a. The hardware limitations maydirectly affect the ability of the wireless device 130 to process andoutput real-time (or near real-time) media and for the display 120 a toprocess and display the real-time media without interruptions. Thehardware limitations add latency to the system which may delay thedisplay of a frame or frames of the real-time media on the display 120a. This may be considered to be unacceptable, as each frame has aspecific time at which it must be displayed, to ensure continuity of thereal-time media.

A session may be established between the wireless device 130 and thedisplay 120 a after completing the negotiation at 410. The devices mayin some embodiments use a Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) overTransmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) asthe communication protocol for sending and receiving data packets duringthe session. Accordingly, the wireless device 130 may prepare the mediacontent for transmission by encoding the media into data packets usingthe negotiated compression parameters and encapsulate the encoded datapackets into a data frame, as explained with reference to FIGS. 6A and6B.

Overview of Wireless Media Transmission

FIG. 6A illustrates, in block-diagram form, an example embodiment,implemented by the wireless device 130, for preparing the media contentfor transmission and an example embodiment, implemented by the display120 a, for receiving the media content and preparing the received mediacontent for display on the display screen 212. The block-diagram of FIG.6A provides only a high-level illustration of components and steps used.Various other components and steps may be used. Additionally, the orderof the steps is only illustrative and is non-restrictive. The variouscomponents shown may be implemented as hardware-only components, forexample, using integrated circuit fabrication. The various componentsmay be implemented as software-only components, residing in memory andimplemented by a processor. Additionally, the various components may beimplemented using hardware and software components. For example, adedicated hardware media encoder, built using integrated circuitfabrication, may be controlled by software algorithms, for example,firmware. Accordingly, the various blocks are only illustrativefunctional blocks.

In FIG. 6A, the wireless device 130 transmits content 502 to the display120 a. The wireless device 130 accordingly acts a “source” of content502 for the display 120 a, whereas the display 120 a acts as a “sink”for the content 502 received from the wireless device 130. The wirelessdevice 130 may be referred to as a “source”, and the display 120 a maybe referred to as a “sink”. Other types of devices may function as a“sink”. For example, a speaker 120 c may receive audio content.Accordingly, the display 120 a may be replaced with the speaker 120 c(FIG. 1A) in some embodiments.

The content 502 may be stored in memory 320, for example as persistentdata 386, or on a removable memory card 332, or may be retrieved fromthe Internet 115 in real-time, or may be generated by the processor 302(such as graphical content generated by a video game, or by otherapplications). The content may include video, pictures, text and/orother information suitable for display on the display screen 212 of thedisplay 120 a and optionally audio suitable for playback using thespeaker 256 of the display 120 a, or audio suitable for playback usingthe speaker 120 c.

After session establishment at 410, the processer 302 of the wirelessdevice 130 may launch the P2P Streaming application 382. The P2PStreaming application 382 may control various aspects of transmission ofthe content 502, such as, controlling which content to transmit. In oneembodiment, the P2P streaming application 382 receives an indicationfrom a user, for example via an input device 306, that the content 502to be transmitted is any content shown on the display screen 312 of thewireless device 130. Accordingly, the P2P streaming application 382clones the display screen 312 onto the display screen 212 of the display120 a, which may have a larger screen. This allows for sharing thecontents of the display screen 312 with others (e.g., in the same room)using a larger screen. However, in some embodiments, the P2P Streamingapplication 382 may extract various aspects of the content displayed onthe display screen 212, such as sensitive information relating topasswords, or information marked as confidential (for example, bydetecting the word “confidential” being displayed on the display screen212).

The content 502 is sent to an encoder 504 for compression and encodingbased on the protocol and/or standard determined at the devicecapability negotiation phase 408. The compression scheme may be theH.264 video compression scheme as previously explained. The video-streammay be encoded into a plurality of Groups of Pictures (GOPs), where eachGOP has a set of frames. The GOP structure allows for compression of thevideo stream by using up to three types of video frames, each offeringdifferent levels of compression. Each display frame is thus comprised ofmultiple video frames. Each GOP includes only one key-frame, thekey-frame including a full representation of an image associated withthe frame. Redundancy in the video-stream is removed by includingpredicted-frames in the GOP, which only include difference informationfrom reference-frames, such as the key-frame. Accordingly, for a givenGOP, the more predicted-frames present, the greater the compression.However, using too many predicted-frames may reduce the video-streamquality, as less scene information is included in the compressed stream.For example, when a scene of video changes, i.e. the entire backgroundis changed, a new key-frame may be included.

The video-stream may be implemented using Miracast, a peer-to-peerwireless screencast standard formed via Wi-Fi Direct connections.Miracast enables wireless or wired delivery of compressed standard orhigh-definition video to or from electronic devices. Typically, both thesending and receiving devices must be Miracast certified. However,Miracast adapters which plug into an expansion port, such as an HDMI orUSB port, are available which allow streaming to a non-certified device.Miracast allows a portable device or computer to securely send up to1080p HD video and 5.1 surround sound (AAC and AC3 are optional codecs,mandated codec is LPCM—16 bits 48 kHz 2 channels).

Within the GOP, a first frame type of the different types, theIntra-Frame (“I-Frame” or “I” for short) includes full imageinformation, and may be used as a reference-frame. Accordingly, theI-Frame is the key-frame and is the largest frame, in terms of datasize. Thus, the I-Frame requires the longest transmission time. A secondframe-type is the Predicted-Frame (“P-Frame” or “P” for short), and isbased on the closest preceding I-Frame or P-Frame, and may be used as areference-frame. A P-Frame typically requires much less disk space thanan I-Frame of the same GOP, and thus requires less transmission timethan an I-Frame.

Examples of various GOP structures 420, 430 and 440 are represented inFIG. 5. GOP structures 420 and 430 GOP represent the same length ofvideo (in time) as each other. However, each structure has a differentnumber of frames of each type. Structure 420 represents one GOP havingone I-Frame and seven P-Frames. Structure 430 represents two GOPs eachhaving one I-Frame and three P-Frames. Since the I-Frames typicallyoffer less compression than the P-Frames, the GOP structure 430 mayoffer less compression than that of GOP structure 420. GOP structure 430requires two I-Frames and six P-Frames to represent the same length ofvideo as GOP structure 420, which instead requires one I-Frame and sevenP-Frames.

Structure 440 represents four GOPs having one I-Frame and one P-Frameeach. However, four GOPs are needed to represent the same length ofvideo as that of GOP structures 420 and 430. Accordingly, the GOPstructure 440 offers the least compression of all the representationsshown.

Each GOP may be characterized by a GOP size, i.e. the number of framesin the GOP, and by a GOP structure, i.e. the number of each type offrame in the GOP, and the arrangement thereof. Increasing the GOP sizeincreases the compression of the video-stream, reducing the time andbandwidth needed to transmit and process the video-stream; as thetime-period between two successive key-frames (i.e. I-Frames) isincreased, thus less key-frames are required. Adjusting the GOPstructure may affect the compression of the video-stream, as explainedpreviously; thus affecting the time and bandwidth needed to transmit andprocess the video-stream. Accordingly, the throughput of themedia-stream outputted by the encoder 504 may be directly correlatedwith both the GOP size and GOP structure, amongst other factors.

The encoder 504 may encapsulate one or more frames into packetsformatted according to an MPEG-transport stream (MPEG-TS) format. Anexample structure of an MPEG-TS formatted packet 610 is shown in FIG.6B. Each MPEG-TS packet includes header information 612 and a number ofFrames (I-, or P-Frames) 614. The header information 612 providesadditional data relating to the Frames 614, such as data forsynchronization and for maintaining transmission integrity when thetransmission signal is degraded. The MPEG-TS packet may be of a fixeddata size, such as 188 Bytes. Accordingly, the number of Framesencapsulated therein may depend on the type of frames encapsulated andtheir corresponding data sizes.

The encoder 504 may output, to the source buffer 506, a series ofMPEG-TS packets similar to the MPEG-TS formatted packet 610. The sourcebuffer 506 may be implemented as a First In, First Out (FIFO) structurestored in the RAM 308 of the wireless device 130. The source buffer 506may be allocated only a limited space in the RAM 308, sufficient to onlystore a pre-determined number of GOPs or Frames. The memory spaceallocated to the source buffer 506 may be based on limitationsassociated with the sink buffer 516 or other limitations.

The source buffer 506 outputs the frames stored therein to the WLANtransceiver 508 (which includes transmitter and receiver capability) forfurther processing and transmission. The WLAN transceiver 508 mayencapsulate several MPEG-TS packets into one Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) packet.An example structure of an WFD packet 620 packet 620 is shown in FIG.6B. The WFD packet 620 may include: (1) an IP header 622, for exampleproviding the IP address of the display 120 a; (2) a UDP header 624, forexample identifying the audio or video stream; (3) an RTP header 626providing time-stamp information to synchronize media playback, sequencenumber information to indicate the position in WFD packet in relation toother WFD packets, and other information; and (4) payload information,for example, a number of MPEG-TS packets 630-636, as previouslyexplained. The WFD packet 620 may have a fixed data size, such as 1356Bytes. The header information 622, 624, 626 may occupy only 40 Bytes.Accordingly, 1316 Bytes are allocated for pay-load information.Accordingly, one WFD packet 620 may include up to 7 MPEG-TS packets, asexplained in the example packet structures 610 and 620.

The WLAN transceiver 508 may transmit each WFD packet 620 as soon as itis ready for transmission, to be received at the WLAN transceiver 518 ofthe display device 120 a. The WLAN transceiver 518 may then extract theencapsulated MPEG-TS packets and send them to the sink buffer 516 toawait processing by the decoder 514. Frames 614 may be transmittedout-of-order, and thus may remain in the sink buffer 516 until theappropriate time for displaying the content 502 stored in the frame. Thedisplay 120 a then displays on the display screen 212 the decodedcontent as received.

Notice-of-Absence Scheduling

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate example Notice-of-Absence (NoA) schedules 700and 750, as set by a group-owner (GO) 702, in the time-domain. The NoAschedules 700, 750 define the time-allocated for communication betweenthe GO 702 and a client 704. The NoA schedule 700 includes eightperiods-of-absence 710-717 and seven periods-of-availability for mediatransmission 720-726 between the GO 702 and the client 704. The NoAschedule 750 includes five periods-of-absence 760-764 and fiveperiods-of-availability for media transmission 770-774 between the GO702 and the client 704. However, the illustrated NoA schedules 700, 750in FIGS. 7A and 7B are only a snap-shot of the communication between theGO 702 and a client 704 over a longer duration. Accordingly, the NoAschedules 700, 750 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B may repeat for as long asession is established between the GO 702 and the client 704.

Additionally, as previously explained, either the GO 702 or the client704 can be the “source” of media content. The source may be, forexample, the wireless device 130. Similarly, either the GO 702 or theclient 704 can be the “sink” for the media content. The sink may be, forexample, the display 120 a.

The NoA schedule 700 allocates more time for media transmission than theNoA schedule 750, which has longer periods-of-absence defined in theschedule. The NoA schedule may be set by the GO based on constraintsassociated with either the GO 702, the client 704, or the wirelesstransmission medium. For example, the GO 702 may be a battery-operateddevice; accordingly to reduce power-consumption associated withwireless-transmission, the GO 702 may set a NoA schedule to allow forlonger periods-of-absence, as the GO 702 (and also the client 704) canenter a low-power state during the periods-of-absence. Accordingly, theNoA schedule 750 allows for more aggressive power savings than the NoAschedule 700. The GO 702 may also set the NoA-schedule to reduceinterference with other devices transmitting on the same frequency(i.e., wireless channel) as the GO 702 and the client 704. Accordingly,during the periods-of-absence, other devices may communicate with eachother, and during the periods-of-availability the other devices mayenter into periods-of-absence to allow the GO 702 and the client 704 tocommunicate.

Other limitations may include limitations associated with hardwareconstraints. The hardware of the GO 702 and/or the hardware of theclient 704 may include performance constraints; thus the media fortransmission must be encoded using parameters for encoding that requireless hardware performance. The hardware constraints may include any of asink buffer limitation for storing received data from a source, a sinkdecoder limitation for decoding received data from the source, a sourcebuffer limitation for storing data for sending to a sink, and a sourceencoder limitation for encoding data for sending to the sink.

Other limitations may include limitations associated with the media fortransmission. The media for transmission may only require a limitedbandwidth; thus, increasing the periods-of-absence may have no negativeeffect on the performance of the transmission. The performance of thetransmission may be determined by measuring the latency (i.e., delay dueto processing and transmission) in transmission of each frame. The NoAschedule can then be adjusted to allocate more and/or longerperiods-of-availability when the latency is above a threshold value, andadjusted to allocate more and/or longer period-of-absence when thelatency is below a threshold value.

Encoding Media for Wireless Transmission

Reference is now made to FIG. 8, illustrating a flow-chart of a method800 for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from asource, such as the wireless device 130, to a sink, such as the display120 a, over a wireless transmission channel. The method 800 may beimplemented by the wireless device 130 or other source device. Themethod 800 may be carried out by software executed, for example, by aprocessor. Coding of software for carrying out such a method 800 iswithin the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art provided thepresent disclosure. The method 800 may contain additional or fewerprocesses than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order. Computer-readable code executable by the processor 302to perform the method 800 may be stored in a computer-readable mediumsuch as a memory of a host device.

In accordance with the method 800 shown in FIG. 8, the wireless device130 will determine, based on a time-allocation for the wirelesstransmission, an available bandwidth for the wireless transmission; andencode the real-time media for the wireless transmission based on theavailable bandwidth or a throughput constraint.

A peer-to-peer communication session is initiated at 802 between thewireless device 130 and the display 120 a. The session may be initiatedaccording to the steps 402-410 previously explained with reference toFIG. 4. Accordingly, the wireless device 130 and the display 120 a willdetermine a group-owner (GO) based on the GO Negotiation phase 406.Thus, the wireless device 130 implementing the method 800 can be eitherthe GO or the client.

Wireless Device 130 is the Client

When the wireless device 130 is the client, the wireless device 130receives the time-allocation from the GO, i.e. the display 120 a. Thetime-allocation may be defined by a Notice-of-Absence (NoA) schedule,such as the NoA schedules shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The NoA schedule maybe transmitted by the GO in a beacon frame, or in a Probe Responseframe, or in a NoA Action frame, and received by the wireless device130.

Any period-of-absence declared in the NoA schedule is a period duringwhich no wireless transmission is allowed by the GO. Accordingly, theavailable bandwidth for the wireless transmission is limited by theperiods-of-absence. At 804, the wireless device 130 then determines theavailable bandwidth (BW_(a)), based on a time-allocation for thewireless transmission. The wireless device 130 may transmit data packetsof a known data size to the display 120 a during aperiod-of-availability, and measure the time required to receive anacknowledgement of receipt of all the data packets at the display 120 afrom the time of sending the first data packet. The wireless device 130then determines the bandwidth during the period-of-availability. Thebandwidth during the period-of-availability is then adjusted by theprocessor 302 to compute an estimate of the available bandwidth, takinginto consideration the duration and number of periods-of-absence, asreceived by the wireless device 130 in the NoA schedule. The processor302 may additionally determine an estimated value for the availablebandwidth. During the periods-of-absence no wireless transmission isallowed; thus the available bandwidth based on the time-allocation isless than the bandwidth during the period-of-availability.

Each set of settings for encoding the media requires differentperformance requirements from each of the wireless device 130 and/or thedisplay 120 a. To accommodate different types of devices, the encodersettings may be varied and are negotiated during the device capabilitynegotiation phase 408 during the session initiation at 802. Thus, thewireless device 130 determines a protocol and a set of settings forencoding the media for wireless transmission suitable for both thewireless device 130 and the display 120 a. The throughput constraint(s)may depend on the negotiated scheme for encoding the media; as thedisplay 120 a may provide information regarding hardware capabilitiesand constraints of the display 120 a to the wireless device 130 duringthe device capability negotiation phase 408. The throughput constraintsare considered, and a maximum throughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)) isdetermined by the wireless device 130 at 806, based on one or morehardware limitation(s) associated with the wireless device 130 and/orthe display 120 a.

Hardware constraints may exists when, for example, the agreed uponencoding scheme requires high-definition video transmission. The sourcebuffer 506 and/or the sink buffer 516 may then limit the maximumthroughput at which the media can be transmitted and/or received.Similarly, the source encoder 504 and/or the sink decoder 514 may alsolimit the maximum throughput at which the media can be transmittedand/or received. Accordingly, the processor 302 may determine anestimated value for the maximum throughput based on the throughputconstraints for the wireless device 130 and the display 120 a.

The processor 302 of the wireless device 130 compares (at 808) theestimated value of the available bandwidth (BW_(a)) with the estimatedvalue of the maximum throughput based on the maximum throughputconstraint (Thpt_(HW)). When the available bandwidth (BW_(a)) is lessthan the maximum throughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)), the encoder 504 ofthe wireless device 130 will encode the real-time media for the wirelesstransmission based on the available bandwidth (BW_(a)) at 810; since theavailable bandwidth (BW_(a)) is more limited than the maximum possiblethroughput.

When the available bandwidth (BW_(a)) is greater than or equal to themaximum throughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)), the processor 302 makes afurther determination 820, to determine whether the wireless device 130has control over the time-allocation. When the wireless device 130 is aclient device, at 820 the processor 302 will typically determine thatthe wireless device 130 has no control over the time-allocation. In suchembodiments, the encoder 504 of the wireless device 130 will encode thereal-time media for the wireless transmission based on the maximumthroughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)) at 842, to ensure that the encodedmedia does not require more throughput than is available, for example bysetting the throughput to be equal to the maximum throughput constraint(Thpt_(HW)).

To encode the real-time media for wireless transmission, the encoder 504may modify various aspects of the encoding to ensure that the throughputrequirements do not exceed the throughput constraints and the bandwidthavailable. In one embodiment, the real-time media is made up ofconsecutive Groups of Pictures (GOPs), each GOP having a key-frame.Accordingly, the encoder 504 may adjust either the GOP structure and/orthe GOP size to achieve the required throughput. For example, withreference to FIG. 5, the key-frame is the I-Frame. As previouslyexplained, when switching the GOP structure 420 to the GOP structure430, the throughput required will be increased; as more I-Frames arepresent, which offer less compression than P-Frames. Similarly, whenswitching the GOP size 420 (i.e., eight frames per GOP) to the GOP size440 (i.e., two frames per GOP), the throughput required will beincreased; as more I-Frames are present for a given length of video (intime).

The real-time media is thus encoded in correspondence with the availablebandwidth and the throughput constraints. However, at any time, thetime-allocation can be changed by the GO 702 (i.e., display 120 a), thuspossibly changing the available bandwidth. For example, when a secondP2P client device disassociates from the GO 702, the GO 702 may adjustthe NoA schedule in response to the dissociation. The wireless device130 will thus monitor for a new time-allocation for wirelesstransmission at 844. When a new time-allocation is detected at 846, thewireless device 130 will determine a new available bandwidth for thewireless transmission based on the new time-allocation, by repeating themethod 800 starting at 804. The media is then encoded for the wirelesstransmission based on the new available bandwidth.

When the Wireless Device is the GO

When the wireless device 130 is the GO 702, the wireless device 130 setsthe time-allocation using a NoA schedule. The wireless device 130 alsosends the NoA schedule to the display 120 a and to any other clients ina beacon frame, or in a Probe Response frame, or in a NoA Action frame.Thus, when the wireless device 130 is the GO 702, the wireless device130 can set new NoA schedules dynamically. However, the wireless device130 may have some limitations in setting the time-allocation, forexample, to avoid interference with devices operating on an interferingchannel which are not under the control of the wireless device 130.

Additionally, in some embodiments, when the wireless device 130 is aclient device 704, the wireless device 130 is still able to control thetime-allocation by sending a request to the GO 702 (i.e., the display120 a) to modify the NoA schedule, for example, to allow for moreperiods-of-presence. The request may be sent using a P2P PresenceRequest, and the GO 702 may then determine whether to accept the requestwhen received. When accepted, the GO will adapt a modified NoA schedule,as requested by the client.

Accordingly at 820, the processor 302 may determine that the wirelessdevice 130 is able to control the time-allocation. It may beadvantageous, when the available bandwidth is greater than the maximumthroughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)) to reduce the bandwidth available to anew (reduced) available bandwidth (BW_(r)) by setting a newtime-allocation corresponding to the maximum throughput constraint(Thpt_(HW)) (at 832). The new time-allocation may thus have longerand/or more frequent periods-of-absence, to limit the availablebandwidth to the new available bandwidth (BW_(r)). This may help reducepower consumption and free-up the wireless channel for othertransmissions. For example, with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, when afirst NoA schedule, such as the NoA schedule 700, is initially set, theWLAN transceiver 508 of wireless device 130 may set a second NoAschedule, such as the NoA schedule 750, when new available bandwidth(BW_(r)) is greater than the maximum throughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)),to reduce the periods-of-availability. The new NoA schedule may be setsuch that the new available bandwidth (BW_(r)) is equal to the maximumthroughput constraint (Thpt_(HW)).

The encoder 504 then encodes the media for the wireless transmissionbased on the new available bandwidth (BW_(r)) at 836, for example, bysetting the throughput to be equal to the new available bandwidth(BW_(r)).

General

The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are intendedto be examples only. Those of skill in the art may affect alterations,modifications and variations to the particular embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the application. Although the descriptionrelates to specific examples for illustration, where the WLAN is an IEEE802.11-based network, for example, different environments may beapplicable as well. As a few other examples, the wireless networking maybe based on a WiMAX network (i.e. IEEE 802.16), or an UWB network (i.e.IEEE 802.15). The teachings of the present disclosure are intended tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology.

The steps and/or operations in the flowcharts and drawings describedherein are for purposes of example only. There may be many variations tothese steps and/or operations without departing from the teachings ofthe present disclosure. For instance, the steps may be performed in adiffering order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

While the present disclosure is described, at least in part, in terms ofmethods, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that thepresent disclosure is also directed to the various components forperforming at least some of the aspects and features of the describedmethods, be it by way of hardware components, software or anycombination of the two, or in any other manner. Moreover, the presentdisclosure is also directed to a pre-recorded storage device or othersimilar computer readable medium including program instructions storedthereon for performing the methods described herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the subject matter of the claims. The described exampleembodiments are to be considered in all respects as being onlyillustrative and not restrictive. The present disclosure intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology. The scope of thepresent disclosure is, therefore, described by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. The scope of the claims shouldnot be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but shouldbe given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description asa whole.

1. A method for encoding media for wireless transmission from a sourcedevice to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel, the methodcomprising: encoding media for the wireless transmission based on aminimum of (i) an available bandwidth between the source device and thesink device for the wireless transmission based on a time allocation ofthe source device for wireless transmission or (ii) a throughputconstraint for the wireless transmission based on a hardware limitationassociated with one or both of the source device and the sink device;and wirelessly transmitting the encoded media from the source device tothe sink device.
 2. The method claim 1, wherein: when the availablebandwidth is less than the throughput constraint, encoding the media forthe wireless transmission based on the available bandwidth; and when theavailable bandwidth is greater than or equal to the throughputconstraint, encoding the media for the wireless transmission based onthe throughput constraint.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving the time-allocation from a group-owner.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the time allocation is defined by a Notice-of-Absenceschedule
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: setting thetime-allocation using the Notice-of-Absence schedule.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising: when the available bandwidth is greaterthan the throughput constraint, setting a new time allocation for thewireless transmission to limit the available bandwidth based on thethroughput constraint.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:encoding the media for the wireless transmission based on the newavailable bandwidth; and wirelessly transmitting the encoded media fromthe source device to the sink device.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: monitoring for a new time allocation for the wirelesstransmission; and when the new time allocation is available, determininga new available bandwidth for the wireless transmission, and encodingthe real-time media for the wireless transmission based on the newavailable bandwidth.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining the throughput constraint for the wireless transmissionbased on a hardware limitation associated with one or both of the sourcedevice and the sink device.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thereal-time media comprises a plurality of a Group of Pictures (GOP), eachGOP having a key-frame and wherein encoding the real-time mediacomprises adjusting any of a GOP structure or GOP size.
 11. The methodof claim 1, wherein the hardware limitation is due to any of a sinkbuffer limitation for storing received data from the source device, asink decoder limitation for decoding received data from the sourcedevice, a source buffer limitation for storing data for sending to thesink device, and a source encoder limitation for encoding data forsending to the sink device.
 12. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising initiating a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication session betweenthe sink device and the source device.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the real-time media is a Miracast video-stream.
 14. A wirelesscommunication device comprising: a processor; a wireless communicationsubsystem coupled to the processor; a memory coupled to the processorand storing media and executable instructions, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, cause the wireless communication deviceto: encode media for the wireless transmission based on a minimum of (i)an available bandwidth between the source device and the sink device forthe wireless transmission based on a time allocation of the sourcedevice for wireless transmission or (ii) a throughput constraint for thewireless transmission based on a hardware limitation associated with oneor both of the source device and the sink device; and wirelesslytransmit the encoded media from the source device to the sink device.15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the processor, cause the wirelesscommunication device to: when the available bandwidth is less than thethroughput constraint, encode the media for the wireless transmissionbased on the available bandwidth; and when the available bandwidth isgreater than or equal to the throughput constraint, encode the media forthe wireless transmission based on the throughput constraint.
 16. Thewireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the time allocationis defined by a Notice-of-Absence schedule
 17. The wirelesscommunication device of claim 16, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the wireless communication device to:set the time-allocation using the Notice-of-Absence schedule.
 18. Thewireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, cause the wireless communication deviceto: when the available bandwidth is greater than the throughputconstraint, set a new time allocation for the wireless transmission tolimit the available bandwidth based on the throughput constraint. 19.The wireless communication device of claim 18, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, cause the wireless communication deviceto: encode the media for the wireless transmission based on the newavailable bandwidth; and wirelessly transmit the encoded media from thesource device to the sink device.
 20. A non-transitory machine readablemedium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions forexecution by a processor of a wireless communication device to perform amethod for encoding real-time media for wireless transmission from asource device to a sink device over a wireless transmission channel,wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor ofthe wireless communication device, cause the processor to: encode mediafor the wireless transmission based on a minimum of (i) an availablebandwidth between the source device and the sink device for the wirelesstransmission based on a time allocation of the source device forwireless transmission or (ii) a throughput constraint for the wirelesstransmission based on a hardware limitation associated with one or bothof the source device and the sink device; and wirelessly transmit theencoded media from the source device to the sink device.